Newest Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting Articles

Scorpio Baby – Your Baby’s Starsign

The symbol for Scorpio, 8th sign of the zodiac, is similar to that of Virgo. Instead of the third upright looping back, it points skyward like an arrow. It represents both the Scorpion’s tail and of aiming towards the future, with careful selection and management of the harvest. Ruling planet: Pluto

Scorpio – Mysterious Little Angels

Bringing a brand new Scorpio into your home is like bringing home a riveting best seller, one that is full of suspense and mystery, but one you’ll never have to stop reading, for as long as this Mysterious Little Angel is in your home, you’ll still be turning pages.

Scorpios are the most mysterious and also the most misunderstood of all the signs. It is in their very nature to keep things to themselves and if you are used to openness, this can be hard to understand and you’ll want this little Angel to open up. They will, but in their own time, but as with all the signs, they’ve got to be allowed to be themselves.

You’ll find that your little Angel loves to play hiding games, ‘where is she? I can’t see her anywhere… boo, there she is!’ They’ll love to have secret hiding places for their favourite things and if you want to see your little Angel bristle with excitement, start a sentence with, ‘Do you want to know a secret?’ or, ‘Can you keep a secret’? They just love the concept of things being hidden.

Scorpio doesn’t operate in the light. Everything about Scorpio is hidden or dark. From ancient times the Scorpion has been associated with the hidden aspects of life. It is Scorpio’s role to see the things that the rest of us miss.

As your little Scorpio reaches an age when they can talk, be prepared for the most unusual of questions, for they’re fascinated about things that we don’t usually talk about. One of the most valuable things that you can do for your little Scorpio, is to be as open as you possibly can and even when there are adult things happening in your life, don’t keep them from your little one, thinking you’re protecting them. They can smell a secret from a mile off and what information you don’t provide them with, they’ll fill in the gaps, with their own vivid imagination.

You’re got a very passionate little Angel here, one that will love mysteries and intrigue. As a Water sign, introduce them to water at an early age.

As a Water sign, Scorpio’s are emotional, but because they feel things very deeply and hold things in, they are susceptible to getting a little too deep. They will need lightening up from time to time. If your little Angel is hurt, they’re quite likely to take it inside where no one can see. On the outside, everything is quiet, but inside they’re still hurt about something that happened to them. Your little Angel is very sensitive.

You’ll never truly understand your little Cosmic Mystery, but this will be one of the best reads you’ve ever had. Like your favourite book that never ends, not knowing what’s coming on the next page. Just when you think you know your little Scorpio, they’ll surprise you all over again.

They are an absolute delight and most Scorpio children have an ‘X’ factor, there’s something about them that is intriguing. When they get older, they’ll be very attractive to the opposite sex and if your baby is a girl, her Daddy is going to have some uneasy teenage years, for there’ll be boyfriends lining up at the front gate. These are delightful children and although you may never truly understand them, they’ll have you under their hypnotic charm from day one.

Scorpio – The Constellation

When the ancients looked up into the sky, at one of the darkest parts of the Milky Way they saw the shape of a Scorpion, as if emerging from a crack, its ‘stinger’ raised, ready to attack. In the ancient world it was thought that the dark crack from which the Scorpion was seen to emerge from, was an opening into the Underworld. The Milky Way, to the ancients, wasn’t just a host of stars, it was the seed ground, where souls originated. It was from the Milky Way that the spirit of man descended into the material realm.

It was said that the Scorpion was placed in the skies as a reward for slaying Orion as he was about to slay Taurus, the Bull. Artemis, who we met in Cancer, was the Goddess of the Moon, a hunter. She had brought the Scorpion out to kill Orion (Scorpio is next to Orion the hunter). Some say that Orion had used ‘unbecoming’ force against her, others say that Orion was killed because he bragged that he was a superior hunter to Artemis. Artemis is a Goddess that protects animals against wanton destruction and condones hunting only for food, not the glory of the hunt. Orion revelled in the glory. Hence, Artemis is the protector of animals and the Goddess that ensures the natural balance in nature. Without Artemis, the animals of the world would not have survived.

This epic battle between Orion and the Scorpion has been played out in the skies of millenniums. When Orion is in the sky, the Scorpion is below the horizon. When the Scorpion rises, Orion disappears beneath the earth, to its death.

Of all the stories surrounding Orion, the one that gives Scorpio rulership over sex and passion, is that of Eos.

In the story of Eos we find an erotic tale. Eos is the goddess of dawn and personifies the concept of promiscuity. It was Eos that brought the rejuvenation of erotic longings at the start of each day. She was to be found in the beds of both men and gods alike. ‘Rosy fingered’, her name was called when she rose each day to greet her brother Helios, the Sun. Some say Eos took a liking to Orion. It is said that the reason Artemis sent the Scorpion to kill Orion was that he had pursued one or all of the Pleiades where he intended to violate them.

The Constellation of Scorpio is one of the most beautiful and striking in the heavens. In the heart of ‘Scorpius’ is a brilliant red star, Antares. In ancient times Scorpio was the largest of the signs, as the Greeks didn’t recognise Libra as a sign and assigned the stars in the constellation of Libra to the claws of the Scorpion.

As a creature Scorpions live in cracks, crevices, holes, in fact anywhere that is dark, hidden and secluded. They are a nocturnal animal, preferring dark to light. Hence, Scorpio has always been a sign associated with the darker, hidden or secret side of life. Secrecy, evil and the underworld are all associated with Scorpio. Scorpions are one of the most ancient creatures on the planet. Fossils have been found dating back over 400 million years. They are predators who hunt at night and kill with their sting. All species, no matter how mild, can cause terrible pain if they bite, with some species being lethal. It is said that if a Scorpion is surrounded by fire it will even sting itself to death. Like the Crab, Scorpions rely on ‘sensors’ to detect prey, small hair like organs on their tail, legs and pincers. Like the Crab, their first defence is also to hide. Scorpions are not naturally aggressive and attack only in self defence or for food. When mating, they perform a dance like ritual called the ‘promenade a deux’. The courting couple grip each other with their claws and move backwards and forwards (as if dancing) until a suitable spot is found.

The Scorpion has been central to both death and sexual rituals right back into the deepest past of many cultures, especially the Egyptians.

In terms of symbolism, the Scorpion is a symbol of wisdom, self destruction and death. The Egyptians maintained that when the Sun entered the sign of Scorpio, it marked the beginning of a period ruled by Typhon, a destroying demon or devil. It was he that devoured the Sun on its journey into winter.

Even the season of Scorpio personifies this dark aspect. When the Sun passes through the Constellation of Scorpio, the year itself begins its journey into its darkest phase. It is the beginning of the long, dark days of winter.

One aspect of the Scorpion nature is said to be that of ‘self sabotage’. There is a story that illustrates this in a light hearted but apt way. The story goes that a Scorpion came to a river, but it was too deep to cross. He asked a frog he saw sitting on the bank to carry him across on his back. The frog said ‘no, you’ll sting me and I’ll die’. The Scorpion said ‘why would I do that, then I couldn’t get across the river’? The frog was convinced, so agreed to carry the Scorpion across the river. Half way across the Scorpion stung the frog. The frog said ‘why did you do that, now we’re both going to die’. The Scorpion replied ’I’m a Scorpion, I can’t help it, it’s what I do’.

Scorpio – The Planet

Until less than 100 years ago, Mars ruled Scorpio. There are obviously too many signs for the number of planets, especially in ancient times when their were only 7 known heavenly bodies. Mars was given rulership of Scorpio. One reason for this is that at the heart of the constellation of Scorpio lies a brilliant red star called Antares. Antares was Ares’ (ruler of Mars) lieutenant. The Greeks believed the he was the ‘anti Ares’ or ‘anti hero’.

Now Pluto rules Scorpio. It is important to note that the intellectuals and scientists that found and named Pluto are no different than their ancient counterparts, for there is no more fitting a name for this planet, nor could it rule a more fitting sign.

Pluto was discovered in error in 1930. Scientists, at the time, were looking for a 9th planet that they thought existed. There were two reasons they thought there was another planet, both of them wrong. The first was something called ‘Bodes Law’. Bodes Law was a mathematical calculation whereby the position of an unknown planet could be calculated by an equation that held true for the known planets. Using this they calculated where this mystery planet should be.

The other reason was the behaviour of Neptune. It was thought its movements depicted the gravitational pull of an unseen planet.

We now know that Bode’s Law is nothing but a coincidence and has no scientific value. Since Neptune and Uranus have been observed by deep space probes, these giant gaseous planets have been shown to be much larger than previously thought, therefore explaining away Neptune’s behaviour.

But Percival Lowall, at the Lowall Observatory in Arizona, didn’t know these assumptions (it would be many years before Bodes Law was disproved) and was wrong. His team of scientists trained their telescopes on the area of sky, these now erroneous presumptions pointed to, as being the most likely place to find the missing planet. That’s exactly where Pluto was found. The reasons for looking at that area of the sky were totally wrong, but they found the most important astronomical find of the 20th Century.

When scientists finally named this planet, after lots of deliberation, they chose Pluto. Pluto was a name in keeping with the rest of the planets, in that it was named after Ancient Gods & Goddesses of ancient Rome or Greece. It also honoured Percival Lowall, who’s played such an important role in discovering Pluto, PL being the first two letters of Pluto and his initials.

Pluto, the planet, is in the darkest part of the solar system. It is both the smallest and the most far from the Sun, receiving little light and is in perpetual darkness. It is the only planet in the solar system that hasn’t been visited by deep space probes. The only pictures we have of Pluto are fuzzy computer enhanced images. Even the Hubble Space telescope can’t see it clearly. We know that it has at least one moon, but even that wasn’t discovered until 1978. Until a space probe reaches that far out into the solar system, Pluto’s mysteries will remain hidden. Just like the Scorpion.

Scorpio – The God

Pluto is the Roman name for the Greek God, Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Before the age of the Olympian Gods, an age that gave birth to the astronomy and mythology that were the parents of astrology, Titans ruled the world. Zeus and his brothers took part in an epic battle to overthrow the ‘old order’, symbolised by their father ‘Cronos’ the last of the Titans. Olympians were victorious and after the battle, rulership of the sea, skies and underworld were given to the victorious brothers Hades, Zeus and Poseidon. They drew lots and Hades received Tartarus, the underworld. Zeus got the skies and Poseidon the seas. The earth was given rulership to all. Cronus had imprisoned the Cyclops and the ‘hundred handed ones’ in Tartarus. Zeus released them and in gratitude gave Zeus the thunderbolt, Poseidon the trident and Hades the mask of invisibility. It is this mask that enabled Hades to walk upon the earth and not be recognised. One of the most powerful stories in Greek mythology is the ‘rape of Persephone’ (see Virgo). Wearing his mask of invisibility, while thundering through the land in his chariot he came upon Persephone, swooped her into the chariot and through a chasm that opened in the earth, carried her into the underworld to be his Queen.

The underworld was a place that all souls went upon death. The ferryman carried them across the river Styx. The relatives of the dead placed a coin under the tongue of the body to pay for the journey into the after life. Penniless ghosts had to wait for eternity on the other side.

There is a saying in ‘pop psychology’ that harks back to this superstition, when dealing with grief, it is said that you have to ‘pay your penny’. In other words, you have to submit to moving into the underworld, a place you need to go to in order to work through your sorrow, to complete the ‘death’ process and come out healed the other side. By avoiding dealing with grief, you’re left like the penniless ghosts on the other side. Thus, it’s always better to ‘pay your penny’ and move through the process.

Very few mortals ever ventured into the Underworld, but one of the Heroes that did is one of the most endearing in Greek Mythology, Orpheus. Orpheus was the most famous poet and musician who ever lived. Apollo himself gifted him his lyre and the Muses taught him to use it. He took it with him when he went as one of Jason’s Argonauts on his epic quest, where his music got them out of many scrapes. It is said that the earth itself danced to his music. His wife Eurydice died after being bitten by a snake while trying to ward off the sexual advances of Aristaeus. Orpheus boldly went down to Tartarus where his music charmed the ferryman, Cerebus, the three headed dog and it is even said that his music tamed and soothed the savage heart of Hades himself. Hades said that Eurydice could return with Orpheus under one condition that he mustn’t look back to see if his wife was following until they were back under the light of the Sun. At the last moment, just as Orpheus could see the sun ahead, he turned to see if Eurydice was following. She immediately turned to stone and was lost to him forever.

Scorpio – The Season

Scorpio is the middle sign of the autumn triad. Therefore, it is a fixed sign that autumn is at its height. Being a fixed sign it is also only interested in the here and now. It is the beginning of the earth’s journey into the long dark days of winter. The days are starting to become cold and damp. The autumn equinox has been passed.

Scorpio is a water sign and it’s here that the earth itself holds onto the water, making the ground sodden and heavy. The grain that was harvested and sorted in Virgo and Libra now lies stacked in barns and in cellars, where it will be used to feed man and animals over the coming dark months. Stored away though are the seeds that will mean new life when spring emerges after the long dark winter.

Nature is losing its blanket of greenery, as leaves die and fall to the ground. Regeneration is taking place. It is through death that new life will eventually come. As the ‘old’ rots in the ground, the seeds for future growth are being born. The earth is claiming back what belongs to it. The harvest has gone and nature has nothing left to give. This is a time of the year that it takes back what it needs. Up until now the earth has provided, now it claims back. To see this season as one of simply death and decay is to fail to see the true magic of life and the season. It is at this point of death that new life truly begins. Here, it will lay dormant under the surface waiting for the first spring rays to bring it to life. Spring is a long way off and before then, winter has to be moved through. It is the Scorpion spirit that sees all that. Sees things more deeply and can identify the cycles of life more profoundly. Being a fixed sign it recognises that there is work to be done. The seed has to be sorted and the careful management of the harvested crop has to take place.